Carlton Fisk
Carlton Ernest Fisk, nicknamed "Pudge" and "the Commander", is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox. In 1972, he was the first player to be unanimously voted American League Rookie of the Year. Fisk is best known for his game-winning home run in the 12th inning of Game 6 of the 1975 World Series, during which he memorably waved his arms hoping for the batted ball to remain fair.
At the time of his retirement, Fisk held the record for most home runs all-time by a catcher with 376. He has held several age- or longevity-related records, including the record for most games played at the position of catcher with 2,226. Fisk still holds the AL record for most years served at the position. Fisk was voted to the All-Star team 11 times and won three Silver Slugger Awards which is awarded annually to the best offensive player at each position. In 2000, Fisk was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Early life
Fisk was born in Bellows Falls, Vermont, but according to Fisk, that was only because Bellows Falls had the nearest hospital to his hometown, Charlestown, New Hampshire. He was raised by his parents, Leona and Cecil, along with older brother Calvin, younger brothers Conrad and Cedric and younger sisters Janet and June. He grew up in Charlestown, across the Connecticut River from Bellows Falls. Fisk attended Charlestown High School, where he played baseball, soccer, and basketball. Because his family is from New Hampshire, he insisted that the organization remove from his plaque in the Red Sox Hall of Fame its characterization of him as a Vermont native. Fisk earned his longtime nickname, "Pudge", because he was a chubby youngster.He played on the Charlestown High baseball team, appearing at third base, catcher and pitcher for Coach Silva. Two of his teammates were his brothers Calvin and Conrad, who were drafted by the Baltimore Orioles and Montreal Expos, respectively, but never made it to the minors due to Calvin's being drafted and inducted into military service during the Vietnam War and Conrad hurting his arm. Since the high school baseball season was limited to 17 games annually due to the inclement New England weather, he also played in the American Legion baseball league in 1964, appearing with the team from Claremont, New Hampshire. In 1965, he played for the Legion Post 37 team in Bellows Falls that had won the 1964 Vermont State Championship.
Fisk excelled at basketball. When he was a sophomore, he was a starter and helped Charlestown to an undefeated season and the 1963 New Hampshire Class M championship. His play in a 1964 high school basketball tournament in the Boston Garden drew the attention of Boston Celtics owner Walter Brown, who told a local reporter, "You have got to tell me—who is that kid?" Fisk had 42 points and 38 rebounds in the 1965 state tournament semifinal loss to Hopkinton High School. He was awarded a basketball scholarship by the University of New Hampshire, where he started for the UNH Wildcats while also playing baseball. He met his wife Linda Foust while at UNH. The freshman team that Fisk played for was undefeated for the 1965–66 season. In 1966, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Orleans Cardinals. In his sophomore year, the Red Sox drafted him in the first round of the January 1967 amateur draft, and his athletic future was set. Fisk gave up his dreams of basketball glory. "I could never be a six-foot-two power forward and play for the Celtics," he said.
Professional career
Minor leagues
In 1967, Fisk played briefly for the Red Sox team in the Florida Instructional League, hitting.195 with 0 HR and 0 RBI in 47 at bats.In 1968, Fisk played for the Waterloo Hawks, the Red Sox' Class A affiliate in the Midwest League. In 62 games, Fisk hit.338 with 12 HR and 34 RBI.
Fisk played 28 games for the Red Sox in the Florida Instructional League in 1969, hitting.245 with 4 HR and 19 RBI. He then played for the Class AA Pittsfield Red Sox of the Eastern League, where he hit.243 with 10 HR and 41 RBI in 97 games and 309 at-bats. Finally, he made his major league debut, appearing in 2 games for the Boston Red Sox in 1969.
In 1970, Fisk played for the Class AA Pawtucket Red Sox, where he batted.229 with 12 HR and 44 RBI in 93 games.
Fisk played for the Class AAA Louisville Colonels of the International League in 1971, hitting.263 with 10 HR and 43 RBI in 93 games, before being called up to the Boston Red Sox.
Boston Red Sox (1969, 1971–1980)
Fisk joined the Army Reserve in 1967. After a short stint of active duty at Fort Dix, New Jersey, where Fisk finished his initial training, he served as a member of the 393rd Service and Supply Battalion in Chester, Vermont, completing monthly weekend drills and two-week annual training periods until 1971.Fisk was once again called up from the minors at the end of 1971 and earned himself a place on Boston's 1972 spring training roster. As history would have it, Fisk broke into the major leagues early in the 1972 season. Boston manager Darrell Johnson, whom Fisk credited for making him a major leaguer, taught Fisk how to be a leader and a field general for the team. Playing with abandon and all-out aggressiveness was one thing, channeling energy intelligently was another. "Johnson taught me to think about all the important facets of the catcher's role, the things that help pitchers in various ways and those that let your teammates know you want to win," he told an interviewer in 1973.
On September 12, 1971, Fisk hit his first career home run off of Detroit's Les Cain at Tiger Stadium. In, Fisk batted.293 with 22 home runs, and a.909 OPS. In addition, he led the American League with nine triples, and was the last catcher to lead the AL in this statistical category. His play earned him both the AL Gold Glove and AL Rookie of the Year awards. He was selected unanimously for the latter award, becoming the first unanimous AL Rookie of the Year. He also finished fourth in American League MVP voting.
In June 1974, Fisk suffered a devastating knee injury when Leron Lee of the Cleveland Indians collided with him at home plate, tearing several knee ligaments. After undergoing reconstructive knee surgery, Fisk was told he would never play again, yet the backstop returned just twelve months later.
In, Fisk re-injured himself in spring training and did not play until June. In only 79 game appearances, Fisk hit.331 along with 52 RBI. Boston won the AL East Division with a record of 95–65.
1975 ALCS and World Series
Fisk batted.417 in the 1975 ALCS, as Boston swept the three-time defending champion Oakland Athletics.In Game 3 of the World Series at Riverfront Stadium, Fisk led off the second inning with a solo home run off Cincinnati starter Gary Nolan. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Reds pinch-hitter Ed Armbrister collided with Fisk at home plate while starting to run out a sacrifice bunt, leading to a wild throw by Fisk to second base that allowed Cesar Geronimo to reach third base and eventually score the winning run. Fisk and Boston manager Darrell Johnson argued the controversial call, claiming that Armbrister should have been ruled out for interference, but home plate umpire Larry Barnett ruled otherwise. "To this day, I still think it was interference," said Fisk in an interview after his retirement.
Leading off the bottom of the 12th inning of Game 6 at Fenway Park, Fisk hit a pitch off of Cincinnati relief pitcher Pat Darcy that went down the left-field line and appeared to be heading into foul territory. The image of Fisk jumping and waving the ball fair as he made his way to first base is considered by many to be one of baseball's greatest moments. The ball struck the foul pole for a home run, giving the Red Sox a 7–6 win and forcing a seventh and deciding game of the Fall Classic. "The celebration of that moment has made me realize how popular baseball is and how it affects people's lives," Fisk told The Boston Globe. "It's still the greatest moment in my career."
The image of him waving the ball fair changed the way baseball was televised. During this time, cameramen covering baseball were instructed to follow the flight of the ball. In a 1999 interview, NBC cameraman Lou Gerard said that he had been distracted by a nearby rat. Unable to follow the ball, he kept the camera on Fisk instead. This play was perhaps the most important catalyst in getting camera operators to focus most of their attention on the players themselves.
Last years in Boston
Fisk was among the top offensive catchers in the American League in his eight full seasons with the Boston Red Sox. His best year in Boston was in 1977, when he hit.315 with 26 home runs and 102 runs batted in.Facing the rival New York Yankees in the 1978 AL East Playoff, Fisk went 1-for-3 with a single in Boston's 5–4 loss to the Yankees. Some fans attributed Boston's 1978 loss to a rib injury sustained by Fisk. The same injury left Fisk on the sidelines for several games during the 1979 season, a year in which his primary position was designated hitter.
Fisk was reportedly among a group of several Red Sox players who lobbied Boston management for players to be paid what they deserved, which made him none too popular with Haywood Sullivan, the Boston general manager. When Fisk's contract expired at the end of the 1980 season, Sullivan in fact mailed him a new contract, but put it in the mail one day after the contractual deadline. As a result, Fisk became a free agent. In 11 years with the Boston Red Sox, Fisk was selected to seven All-Star games, and batted.284 with 161 home runs and 568 RBI. He nearly had more RBIs than strikeouts, striking out only 588 times in 4353 plate appearances with the Red Sox, with an OBP of.356.